Long Term Cigar Preservation ??

[Bowtech4ever]

Cuban cigars will be fine at 10 years. Some non-Cuban cigars will be fine at that age. I have some clear Havanas that are 55+ years old and are still tasty cigars. As long as they are stored properly they will be fine.

How & in what way are they stored properly....especially for 55 years, & do they continuously get better?

[HabanoMan]

How & in what way are they stored properly....especially for 55 years, & do they continuously get better?

Scott, to me stored properly would be in the 55 - 65 RH range and below 70 degrees. As far as the cigar improving I have no idea as I have no point of reference. I wasn't even alive when these were "fresh". I do have some stock that I bought that is 15 years or so in age and they are superb and considerably better than the same cigar at a younger age. 10 years is an excellent goal to set for aging stock. I would suggest that you smoke one every year or two and take notes. That way you can figure out the "peak" for that certain line. Then you will know if it is a cigar that is going to peak at 5 years or 7 years or, well you get the point. Most Cuban cigars will definitely stand up to some serious aging if stored in the acceptable conditions.

[Aithos]

I saw a video where a guy was talking about long term aging 10-30 years (to be fair he was talking mostly about CC) I'll see if I can locate the videos after work tonight. It was very informative and had some science information, I'm not sure whether it was good science or not but it was an interesting watch. I'll edit my post here if I find that link.

[CamoSutra]

Some cigars age better than others -- there are some sticks that may just be hitting their peaks after eight to ten years, and others that are pretty close to peak flavor when you get them. I'm sure you'll get recommendations on cigars to age for long periods.

But where's the fun in just putting them away and ignoring them? I'd rather experiment with different cigars, taste-testing them from time to time until you find the sweet spot for each one. This also lets you get rid of any ammonia build-up and inspect for mold and/or beetles. And what's the sense of ignoring a good bottle of booze? Consider it "quality control" -- making sure the distiller's efforts remain top-notch from one year to the next, or something like that.

Besides, your tastes might change over time, and you'll need to get rid of the old cigars and whiskey to make room for something else. Smoke, drink, replenish -- and maybe start a second cache along the way, so you can last even longer after the end of the world.

[LGHT]

I've been aging cigars for a LONG time and have learned a few things. I wrote up a long detailed post some time ago, but I'll just list the specifics here.

1) If your aging long term you can do sealed or not sealed in their box. Sealed will take longer to notice the improvements on the stock, but it does produce smoother more flavorful stock. Almost like allowing them to stew in their own juices.
2) Don't mix cigar types. If you are aging Connecticut's don't keep them in the same box or even shelf as a maduro as the Connecticut will take on flavors of the maduro and ruin the subtle flavors
3) Maintain a constant RH. I use 65 beads in mine and haven't had any problems with mold or wrappers unraveling etc. I know guys who age at 70 without any problems so it's a matter of preference, but the key is to keep the RH constant and only open your humi when you need to.
4) The best aging device by far is a wine cooler / beverage cooler to maintain constant temps if your home has temp swings. For me my cigars are stored in a part of the home that doesn't fluctuate much so I have a large beverage cooler that's never plugged in. Plus it helps that the temps outside don't fluctuate too much during the year.
5) Full body dark wrappers age the best as cigars will lose a good amount of strength over the years. So if you prefer stronger cigars with a good amount of N Kick don't let them rest beyond 6 years. If you prefer medium body 8-10 and light smooth flavorful cigars 10 years or more. I just smoked a RASS from an 05 box and sad to say they have passed their prime. These where smoking great last year and the year before, but now it's just too long. However I have some 12 year BBF's that could still use a few years.
6) If you are not aging sealed boxes open each box at least once or twice a year to allow some air exchange. This will help the ammonia release from the box and improve the taste faster.

[Bowtech4ever]

I've been aging cigars for a LONG time and have learned a few things. I wrote up a long detailed post some time ago, but I'll just list the specifics here.

1) If your aging long term you can do sealed or not sealed in their box. Sealed will take longer to notice the improvements on the stock, but it does produce smoother more flavorful stock. Almost like allowing them to stew in their own juices.
2) Don't mix cigar types. If you are aging Connecticut's don't keep them in the same box or even shelf as a maduro as the Connecticut will take on flavors of the maduro and ruin the subtle flavors
3) Maintain a constant RH. I use 65 beads in mine and haven't had any problems with mold or wrappers unraveling etc. I know guys who age at 70 without any problems so it's a matter of preference, but the key is to keep the RH constant and only open your humi when you need to.
4) The best aging device by far is a wine cooler / beverage cooler to maintain constant temps if your home has temp swings. For me my cigars are stored in a part of the home that doesn't fluctuate much so I have a large beverage cooler that's never plugged in. Plus it helps that the temps outside don't fluctuate too much during the year.
5) Full body dark wrappers age the best as cigars will lose a good amount of strength over the years. So if you prefer stronger cigars with a good amount of N Kick don't let them rest beyond 6 years. If you prefer medium body 8-10 and light smooth flavorful cigars 10 years or more. I just smoked a RASS from an 05 box and sad to say they have passed their prime. These where smoking great last year and the year before, but now it's just too long. However I have some 12 year BBF's that could still use a few years.
6) If you are not aging sealed boxes open each box at least once or twice a year to allow some air exchange. This will help the ammonia release from the box and improve the taste faster.

@LGHT , very much appreciated! This and several other responses, gives me a good starting place and course to follow. 1st. on the list will be a quality wine cooler (common denominator)...a well constructed and insulated one. I want to get it set up and proven before adding cigars.

[JimF]

Excellent comments by "LGHT" . . .

The ideal humidity to store your cigars is between 70% - 75% humidity. Ideally it is best to put your cigars in cedar boxes to enhance the flavor of tobacco over a period of time - the longer the better. This works great if you have a humidor large enough to handle storing your cigars within their own boxes. This permits the cigar to breathe.

I personally believe that cigars should be kept at 72 - 73% RH and 70 F or you WILL ruin them over the long term. Certainly there is some variation (short term) allowed of +/- 2 (degs and %).

Tobacco should be kept at a relative humidity that just keeps the leaves pliable without swelling them. Pliability is based on the interaction of the membranes with the air surrounding them, *relative humidity*, not absolute moisture content is what's important. I used to believe that “absolute” moisture control s/b used but have come over to the “relative” humidity over the years.

Ideally, the correct point is 70-73% regardless of temperature per some cigar experts. 70% relative humidity cigar leaves become pliable without swelling. At 75% or higher, the cells begin to swell. At 68% or lower, they can become brittle. These points are regardless of the ambient temperature or the absolute moisture content.

Aging cigars is similar to aging wine. Cigars can be aged for as long as ten to twenty years although personally, I’ve not had much success past 5 years. Without keeping them in their “box”, it is a futile endeavor b/c they loose their flavor sitting in the open. Some tobacco will not age at all while some will have their flavors enhanced.

One more piece of advice: although a plastic container is okay for short term storage, it will not permit the cigar to age. It can actually cause over-humidification because the moisture has no place to go but into the cigar. Also wineadors are not good either b/c the cigar can’t age in “metal”. Most experts say it s/b cedar.

If you keep your cigars at 70% relative humidity and 70 degrees F, that’s good for SHORT term storage but for long (10 year) term, they'll dry out! To combat this, get a decent “cedar” humidor, keep the cigars at 70F, charge the humidifier in the humidor regularly, keep the RH at 73% and don’t let it get to high.

Many cigar manufacturers roll their cigars at room temperature and about 72% relative humidity. At this level of temperature and humidity, the cigar is allowed to equalize in moisture content, to slowly, ever so slowly, dry down. Some experts say that 70F and 72% humidity will keep cigars over time and 73% humidity will keep cigars perfect forever.

Many use a wineador b/c it has built-in temperature control and somewhat better insulation. Most large cedar humidors (not small table-top versions) do not have temperature control. It’s not that difficult to add a Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) to end up with the best of both worlds; cedar and temperature control.

Depending on where you live, you MAY have to add a dehumidifier to control the excess moisture from ambient weather conditions. In San Diego, there are three months of high humidity will “drown” the cigars if left untreated.

[Chadderkdawg]

Nvm... going to retract my statement.

[lvfcrook1503]

Only thing I will add is that if you use HF beads....not all humidors are equal. I recently converted a mini fridge to use just for cc storage. Based on the size, I should have used 1.5lbs of beads. I bought 2 lbs of 60% beads to be on the safe side. With just a few mists of water the RH was up over 73%. Then I realized, there's no wood in there other than the cigar boxes so it doesn't need as much media. I now have 6, 62% boveda packs in there and no beads and humidity is holding steady at 63%. Once I get some wooden shelves for it and maybe some additional cedar to take up some space, I will probably attempt to use the beads again. Just a little FYI

[LGHT]

As far as the cooler / winecooler option I should have mentioned mine has a good amount of wood boxes and in addition I have cedar sheets and liners and a good collection of cedar "blocks" that were used as fillers for some boxes when cigars didn't take up all the space. This really helps me maintain RH and allows the beads to wick moisture as needed. I'm too cheap to splurge for those fancy cedar shelves, but i'm sure those would help also.